Broken, but Good
by smilestoyou
Summary: 1979. The Dark Lord's reign is at an all-time high, the casualties bleeding into the Muggle World. Having been pulled out of the Order, Emily tries to help where she can. She is desperate to get back into the fight and will do anything to get back on the front lines. Her prayers are answered by an old friend's arrival, claiming to have found the secret to the Dark Lord's downfall.


"It looks like you need another cup of tea."

Emily blinked twice, looking up to see Mary standing in front of her. "Huh? Oh no, don't worry, Mary. I already got one." She reached out for the cup in front of her and realized that it was cold to the touch. Emily met Mary's knowing smirk as the older woman took the cup and dumped out of the contents, already making another for Emily. She handed the cup to Emily with a sympathetic smile, taking the seat across from her.

"Thank you," Emily told Mary, her hands wrapping around the cup. "You didn't have to."

Mary waved a hand. "There's no need to worry about me, dearie. I'm worried about you. Was it your first time seeing something like that?"

She couldn't meet Mary's gaze, looking down at her cup as images of the Muggle boy flashed through her mind. She remembered him being brought in, his tiny body strapped to the stretcher. Her stomach had twisted upside-down, seeing angry-red marks over his body, the blisters beginning to develop over the splotchy skin. His cries for his mother rang in her ears over and over again.

"—the boy is going to survive," Mary informed her, breaking her thoughts. "Which is more than what I can say for his parents."

"Do they know what happened?" Emily asked, her voice no louder than a whisper.

"Well, they said that their house had caught fire. Probably an accident," Mary sighed, her arms folding across her chest. Seeing Emily's expression, she reached over to grab Emily's hand, giving her a reassuring squeeze. "I know that this sounds terrible, but this isn't the worst I've seen. They'll pull through. You'll be surprised at how strong people can be."

"Yeah."

Mary's eyes narrowed, observing Emily for a moment before she spoke, "I think you should take the rest of the day off."

Emily snapped her head up. "What?" She yelped; eyes wide. "No, no, no, you can't do that!"

Seeing Mary's frown accompanied by hands on hips, Emily switched tactics with a sheepish chuckle and reassuring smile. "I'm fine, Mary, really. There's no need to worry about me."

Mary pursed her lips, staring down at Emily for another moment. "All right, if you say so."

Emily continued to smile as Mary walked out of the room. Once the door was closed, she let out a sigh, slumping forward. Muggle attacks were on the rise and she was certain that the fire had been no accident. If she had been a part of the Order, perhaps she could've done something more. Her hands curled into fists. Had Ethan not barred her from joining the Order… She could've done so much more than helping out at Muggle hospitals! There was only so much she could do to speed up a patient's healing process, easing their pain, or finding the solution before others caught on to her magic.

CRACK.

The loud noise startled her out of her thoughts, jerking upright to locate the source of the noise. Emily caught sight of two figures in the corner. The taller figure pressed a finger to his lips but Emily let out a loud scream. The taller figure pointed his wand at her, cutting her scream short. She clawed at her neck, trying to rip off the invisible rope. Eyes wide, she watched as the wand raised once more—the door slammed open with Mary there, hand over her heaving chest.

"What happened?"

Fear trickled down Emily's spine like ice, seeing the figure direct his wand away from her. Mary was going to die right in front of her! Mary took a step forward, only to stop as Emily suddenly rose to her feet, nearly knocking the chair over in her haste. Emily could feel the hold around her throat loosen and fall away. The Silencing Charm had been lifted. She shifted her hands, rubbing her neck.

"S-Sorry, Mary. I-I... I think I'm not feeling well. Perhaps I'll, um, take the rest of the day off, if that's alright with you."

Mary blinked twice before quickly regaining her composure. "Of-Of course, dear. Seeing such horrible things like that for the first time—yes, please, make sure you are well-rested. I'll expect you bright and early tomorrow morning!"

With a nod, Emily walked past Mary, forcing herself not to look over her shoulder to make sure that she wasn't followed. She tried her best to keep her hands from shaking as she opened her locker. Flinging the door open, she reached for her wand. In a hushed voice, she recited the incantation, trying her best to concentrate. Vapors of silvery smoke burst forth from the tip of her wand. It curled around the wand but nothing happened. Again, she whispered the incantation, producing the same results.

"Come on!" Emily pleaded, her heart pounding in her ears after a few unsuccessful tries. She closed her eyes, trying her best to conjure a happy memory, one powerful enough to produce her corporal—

She let out a sharp breath as a dazzling, glowing fox was in front of her. With a single glance, the fox took a giant leap through the window, transforming into a ball of light that quickly flew away. Emily closed her eyes for a brief moment, hoping that she wouldn't have to face the enemy alone. She could hear faint footsteps, closing in on her location. Emily gripped her wand tighter. She just had to hold them off a little longer until the others arrived. She held her breath, hearing the footsteps stop. She crouched down, quickly moving her wand in a small, clockwise motion. The brick in front of her eyes became transparent. At first, she couldn't see anything but darkness. But it seemed to ripple in front of her, moving this way and that. It wasn't darkness, but a cloak. Two, Emily counted when jets of lights flew through the air, one barely missing her head. It collided with the wall behind her. Emily threw up her hands, protecting her head as debris rained down upon her.

"Emily, run!"

The creak of the door had her whirling around, wand pointed with an incantation ready to unleash. Hearing her co-workers laugh loudly on the other side of the lockers, Emily quickly shrugged out of her uniform. She refused to let go of her wand even as she put on her clothes. She would not be taken off-guard again. The moment she was out of the hospital, Emily walked as quickly as she could without garnering attention.

She let out a gasp, jerked backwards. She clawed at the lapels of her jacket but failed to shrug it off. Blinding pointing her wand behind her, a stream of bright light flew, destroying her jacket. Emily let out a shriek as she lost balance, falling to the ground. Sharp pain shot from the back of her skull. Her vision swayed side to side as she scrambled to her feet, her world doubling for a moment before merging back into one. She looked around, finding her kidnapper rising to his feet. A stream of light knocked him flat on his back and a flick of her wand had his zooming right into her outstretched hand.

"Wait! I'm not here to hurt you, Emily."

It was enough to make her pause for a moment.

"What do you want?" Emily hissed, refusing to lower her wand, still pointed at him.

"I need your help."

"Oh, you need my help now?" She stepped forward, her grip tightening over her wand. "Tell me, why should I help a Death Eater like you, Regulus?"

"Please," Regulus said, slowly rising to his feet. "Emily, I'm asking as a friend."

"A friend?" She cried, her voice shrill. "A friend wouldn't have joined an organization that is devoted to killing people like me, Regulus! A friend wouldn't have allowed those evil students to carve a disgusting name into my arm!"

"I know," His eyes flickered to her left arm before meeting her gaze. "And I'm sorry, I really am."

"Do you honestly think that an apology will make everything right, Regulus? That we'll return as friends and that I'll just look the other way while you and your little Death Eater friends eradicate other Muggle-borns?"

"I'm not here to fight you," Regulus told her, his breath short and heavy. Even though he was leaning heavily on the wall and his arm wrapped around him, he stood straight and tall, never faltering as he continued on. "I need your help."

"And what makes you think that I'll help you?" She asked.

"Because I saved your life."

* * *

Emily ushered him inside her flat, looking over her shoulder once more. She was positive there was no one following them, but it never hurt to check once more. Her gaze slowly swept over the shadows before shutting the door behind her. After a quick internal debate, she tapped the door with her wand. She turned around and let out a gasp, seeing Regulus standing too close for comfort. With better lighting, she was able to take a good look at Regulus. Even though she had not seen him for no more than six months, his appearance had drastically changed. His handsome face was now pale and thin, with prominent dark circles under his eyes. With his wet clothes sticking to his skin, she noticed that he had lost some weight as well. The familiar spark in his grey eyes was gone and seemed lifeless, even when he was looking directly at her.

"R-Right, if you can just sit on the couch," Emily stammered, gesturing to the living room. "I-I'll just...I'll just get some clean clothes for you, y-yeah?"

Adverting her gaze, she hurried into Ethan's room, grabbing a few clothing items from his drawers. She paused for a moment; her arms full of clothes. Should she even be helping a Death Eater like Regulus? He was part of an organization that tortured and killed Muggle-borns like her for sport. For a moment, she thought to bind him and wait for the authorities before shaking her head. No, she couldn't do that now. She was in debt to Regulus. Her jaw clenched. Once her debt was repaid...

Walking back to the living room, she handed the dry clothes to Regulus.

"These are Ethan's, I'm sure they'll fit you. I'll give you a couple of minutes to get out of those dirty clothes," she told him, already walking away to gather the necessary items to heal him. When she returned a few minutes later with her potion kit, she nearly dropped it at the sight of Regulus. He was covered in angry-red scratches and she could see large bruises beginning to form around his neck. Similar bruises were littered down his arms—

"Inferius."

She met his gaze with wide eyes.

"That's-that's impossible—Inferius are...they aren't—"

"Emily? Emily, where are you?"

She turned to the door; mouth opened but unable to speak. Her heartbeat quickened. The blood pounding in her ears was deafening. Glancing over at Regulus, she tried to form an excuse, a plan. Emily took a few steps toward the door before she stopped. No, Ethan wouldn't understand why Regulus was there. Perhaps she would have more luck with Regulus.

"You have to leave."

Regulus raised a brow at her sudden demand. With a pointed look, he reminded her, "You gave me your word that you were going to help me,".

"I—I will, but not right now."

Her eyes darted to the door. The fierce knocks had transformed into a pounding barrage.

Looking back at Regulus, she gave him a pleading expression, her voice low. "Please, Regulus— "

"How can I trust you?" He asked, leaning back and making himself comfortable. "You aren't even keeping your word that you're going to help me. You're tossing me aside like trash right now."

The pounding barrage on the door fell silent. Emily glanced back at the door, her heartbeat roaring in her ears. Her time was running out. She took a step toward Regulus, her wand drawn.

"Regulus— "

The door exploded into tiny splinters, forcing the two throw up their arms to protect themselves from the raining debris. Ethan stepped through doorway; his wand held tightly in his hand. His eyes scanned the area, searching. Tension seemed to fall away as he let out a relieved sigh at the sight of his sister unharmed. He strode toward her, arm outstretched.

"Emily, are you okay? I got your message—"

It took Ethan a moment to recognize the young man on the couch. His eyes flickered the man's uncovered forearm. He knew that mark, the mark of the Dark Lord's followers, the ones who had mercilessly killed muggles and wizards alike with no remorse. The ones who killed Fox, Montgomery, Carter, and Smith. The jet of green light slammed into Garrett's chest, the Auror already dead before his body hit the floor. His shocked expression etched onto his face; his wide, lifeless eyes staring up at Ethan.

Seeing her brother raise his wand, Emily stood in front of Regulus, her arms stretched across in an attempt to hide him from sight.

"Stand aside, Emily!" Ethan snarled, his grip tightening over his wand.

"It's not what you think! Regulus is—"

"A Death Eater," He spat, his lips curled. "Now, move out of the way!"

"But, wait Ethan—!"

She was unable to complete her sentence as Regulus grabbed her arm, twisting it behind her. Ethan let out a yell, charging toward them but everything was going dark. She could see a flash, but she closed her eyes shut from the intense pressure squeezing her from all directions.

Emily stumbled over the hard ground that suddenly appeared under her, landing hard on all fours. Rising to her feet, she glanced around the strange new place that she had been taken to. It was an isle; the water was only a few kilometers away from all directions. Hearing a coughing fit, she turned around to see Regulus doubled over, an arm wrapped around himself. Emily couldn't help herself, quickly making her way toward him. However, Regulus' fierce glare stopped her in her tracks. It was if ice was creeping up her legs, freezing her to the spot. Swallowing the thick lump in her throat, she managed to find her voice.

"Where-Where are we?"

"Somewhere safe."

"Somewhere—Regulus, what did you do?" She demanded; her fear forgotten as she placed her hands on her hips.

"Ethan was going to attack us," he said, standing up straight.

"No, he wouldn't-he would never do that!" Emily said, marching over to him. "If I had time to explain to him, everything would be fine. But now, you have just made everything worse. I demand for you take me back right now!"

When Regulus refuses to move, Emily let out a huff. Instead of stamping her feet, she folded her arms over her chest. "Fine, if you won't take me, then I'll go by myself and explain to Ethan everything."

Before she could walk past Regulus, his hand snaked out, preventing her from taking another step. But this time, Emily was prepared. She whirled around; her wand pointed in his face.

"Let me go!"

"I won't," Regulus told her, his cold eyes staring down at her. "If you have forgotten, Emily, you still have a debt to pay."

His brief reminder quelled her anger for a moment. She jerked her arm out of his grip, lowering her wand. "When I'm finished helping you, I'm leaving."

"Of course," Regulus said, leading the way to the small cottage. He refused to let go of her arm, forcing Emily to rip out of his grasp. He whirled around and she lifted her chin at him, indicating for him to continue on. As they reached the front, Emily noticed that there was no handle or knocker. It just looked like a plain piece of wooden door. However, it swung open the moment Regulus laid his palm on the wood.

"Please keep your drool outside of the house."

She quickly closed her mouth, glaring a hole in Regulus's back before she followed him inside. It was rather minimalistic for someone of his status, but it was pristine with everything practically untouched. Everything seemed to be in a certain order and in a certain way, just how she remembered with Regulus.

A loud crash caught her attention. Emily rushed into the kitchen to see Regulus, collapsed on the floor. Worried about his injuries being worse than she had assumed, she helped him into the closest chair. It was then that she noticed his hand pressed against the front of the jumper. Without a word, she ripped his hand away and gasped at the sight of his injury. Blood stained the fabric and it seemed to be growing.

"I don't remember seeing this. When did this happen?"

"It seems that your dear brother attacked me with a well-aimed Hex."

"No, Ethan would never—"

"And yet his actions spoke differently," Regulus snapped back at her, breathing hard as he applied pressure to his wound once more. "Tell me, exactly when did you contact Ethan? Was it when you went to fetch some clothes for me? No, he couldn't have arrived so quickly within that short timeframe."

"I-I—" She stammered, fumbling for an excuse.

"Emily, I've known you for the past seven years. Do you honestly believe that I won't be able to tell if you're lying to me?"

She kept her eyes on his injury, unable to meet his gaze.

"Move your hands," he snapped, pushing her hands away from his wound. Emily opened her mouth to protest but promptly closed it, watching Regulus continue to apply pressure to his wound, fumbling for his wand with the other. There was a complicated wand movement, too quick for Emily to register. Within moments, the blood was wiped away, revealing a large gash. Another flick of his wand had his wound slowly stitch itself back together. Emily could barely watch before it was covered in gauze and dressed.

"If you didn't need my help, then why did you bring me along?" Emily asked, finding her voice. "You obviously can heal yourself!"

"When did I say that I needed your help to heal me?" Regulus replied, rising to his feet. "You are not even a qualified Training Healer, Emily. Surely you didn't think that Muggle Healing could treat wounds caused by Inferius, did you? Your intelligence seems to be dwindling since you left Hogwarts. I just need a simple answer, that's all."

"If it's so simple, then why can't you figure it out by yourself?" She said, folding her arms over her chest. "Aren't you supposed to be the intelligent one?"

"Ah, but I'm giving you a chance to prove that you're not plain stupid," He said with a smug smile. "A rather simple question, really. All I want to know is how you managed to send a message to Ethan so quickly. I've heard a similar story about Garrett Macmillan. Imagine the surprise when two more members of the Order arrived to save him."

Garrett's death was the reason Ethan had pulled her from the Order, citing that it was too dangerous. Ethan had told her that he couldn't bear to lose her, not after losing his best friend and lover. Her wide eyes flickered to him as realization filled her chest, twisting uncomfortably inside of her.

He knows.

"And you think that because I owe you a debt that I will tell you?"

"It is the easiest way," He advised her.

If I don't, am I to become your hostage?" She let out a snort at the idea. "It would be quite unfortunate for you, Regulus, because I'm no one of importance."

"Oh, I don't know about that," Regulus replied, his arms folded over his chest. "I think your brother would disagree with you. After all, he practically raced over to your flat when he received your message."

"And you think that you can use me as ransom?" Emily scoffed, her fingers pressing into her arms so harshly she was sure there would be bruises on her skin. "Ethan would never agree to your terms."

"No, but you will." He took a few steps, his figure towering over her. "You would do anything to save Ethan."

Ice-cold fear was squeezing her chest, refusing to let her breath. She met his steely gaze. "You wouldn't."

Regulus let out a bitter laugh. "There's nothing I wouldn't do anymore, Emily. I know that Ethan is a member of the Order. A simple mention is all it takes, really. A Muggle-born Auror and a member of the Order, well, there will be quite a few who will be hunting for his head."

She launched at him with a roar, wand forgotten, tackling him to the floor. The two tussled for a moment before an explosion of smoke went off. Emily was lying on the floor, her vision spinning from nausea. Regulus rose to his feet, gingerly touching his eye. He let out a hiss, his lips curling back in a grimace, feeling the swelling around his eye. Anger curled inside his chest for a moment before he took a deep breath, calming the fire. It wouldn't do any good if Emily couldn't give him an answer. He watched with narrowed eyes as Emily struggled to her feet, clutching the table as support.

"Well?" He asked, impatient.

Emily bowed her head, eyes closed tight. She wouldn't do it. To betray the others—

His eyes narrowed, not satisfied by her answer. "I see. Well then—"

"If," Emily spoke, her voice a whisper. "If I tell you, will Ethan be safe?"

"Safer than being revealed as a member of the Order," Regulus answered, showing none of the anxious buzzing inside his chest. He watched as Emily took a deep breath, lifting her head to meet his gaze.

"Patronus Charm," she revealed. "Dumbledore found a way to communicate through Patronus Charm."

"Of course," Regulus said, turning away with his jaw clenched. He knew about the legend, about the caster being worthy with a pure heart. With a sudden realization, he turned back to Emily. "I need you to contact Dumbledore."

* * *

Hi, this is just a re-write of my former work, Lifetime of Friendships. There have been a few minor changes as I felt that the former work wasn't working out and I was forcing things together like wrong puzzle pieces. Thanks.


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